FRINGE OBSERVATIONS: 4.17 Everything In Its Right Place

Welcome to Fringe Observations — your weekly guide to the clues and connections throughout all four seasons of Fringe. This week, we comb through “Everything In Its Right Place” for the story within the story.

MAN IN THE MAZE

The Iʼitoi, or Man in the Maze is said to represent the journey of life. It has particular significance for both Lincolns and Canaan in this episode. Here’s more from Wiki:

According to O’odham oral history, the labyrinth design depicts experiences and choices we make in our journey through life. In the middle of the “maze”, a person finds their dreams and goals. When one reaches the center, we have one final opportunity (the last turn in the design) to look back upon our choices and path, before the Sun God greets us, blesses us and passes us into the next world.

I find this idea visually represented with the staircase scene pictured above, which also plays into the show’s cyclical themes.

Lincoln remarks that “home” is located in the center. This notion of balance and safety was recently depicted in “Welcome To Westfield,” where the team survived Jones’ reality merge by taking shelter in the ‘eye of the storm’.

BLUE RETURNS

The blue light returns to shuttle us to the other side.

USSR

The USSR posters could be next episode clues, but work on their own in highlighting another of the many differences that exist between the two universes. Over there the USSR still exists.

RESTORATION

Peter tore holes in both universes, creating a bridge so the two sides could heal, stabilizing the spacial rifts in the ambered zones. The Red World is slowly being restored.

Walternate: “This is a turning point in our history, in the last week alone 11 previously uninhabited zones have been reopened. Our cities are healing, our world is being restored. [..] Let us never forget those we’ve lost.”

BAD-ASS

Altlivia and Lincolnate act like they’ve never heard of Batman, yet it was established in the Season 2 finale that the character does exist over there (he’s depicted in two of the alternate reality comics pictured above). We’ll call continuity on that one, as the pair seem to know their Supers.

MANHATAN TIMES

A copy of the MANHATAN (one T over there) Courier from Friday, November 12, 2004. Along with a snazzy video-pic, it gives insight into events of the time, such as Jorge Garcia’s winning streak. Perhaps also a hat-tip to Jorge Garica the actor, who had appeared in three Bad Robot seriables – LOST, FRINGE an ALCATRAZ.

FILLMORE

One of the containment technicians mentions losing two Fillmores on the fight, referencing Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States. Seems he made currency and is regarded in higher esteem over there?

LINCOLN’S ARC ENDS

Given what becomes of Lincolnate by the end of the episode, this shot of both Lincolns under an arch structure carries a touch of symbolism, particularly with Lincolnate kneeling down.

SHE’S SO INTO BLUE

Altlivia’s in the blue. Arguably foreshadowing her and Lincoln’s ‘attraction’.

ONE PRONGED ATTACK

Jones’ newer human shapeshifter models don’t need the three-pronged device to shift identity like the prototypes seen earlier in the season.

BLOW ME DOWN

In the original timeline, Olivia saved herself, Lincolnate and Charlnate from an explosion. It seems Lincolnate wasn’t so fortunate in this timeline, without Olivia on-hand to help him.

OBSERVATIONS OVERFLOW

Lincoln wasn’t the only one hankering for ‘home’. Gene also managed to get out of the of the Lab. Everything in its right place.

Canaan has connections with the Hebrew verb kana meaning be humbled, subdued, low. Canaan is also the name of the fourth son of Ham, the youngest son of Noah (Genesis 9:18). You can see why this name was chosen for the character, given the Jones story arc and themes within.

The shapeshifter tracking hub is reminiscent of the way the Fringe team tried (but ultimately failed) to track DRJ earlier in the season.

Unless I’m misunderstanding the write-up Altivia wasn’t the Olympic shooter, was she? I thought it was Olivia that was the sharp shooter, which is one of the things that gave her away as she was attempting to escape in season three. She shot the valve off of the gas tank to cause an explosion. One of the characters (I forget which one) observed that that shot was too good to have been done by [Altivia], signifying that only Olivia’s master skills could have pulled that off.

No, it was actually the thing that confirmed to Walternate and Broyles that Olivia had turned into Fauxlivia. Broyles said he had never seen anyone other than Fauxlivia shoot like that. It never made much sense to me, because for all they knew our Olivia was just as good!

As with all shows I watch I never really watch any episode more than once, so as the years go by I tend to forget some of the details (hence why I check these types of sites). I guess that’s what happens when one watches too much T.V. 😉

Excellent Point! I was thinking what the..?! How did he go from owning a hardware store to becoming good friends with the Secretary of Defense??? By the way, who was the man with Lincoln’s mum at the funeral in the episode after this one? I immediately thought he should be his Dad, but the man’s dead so….

Guys, about the “man in the maze” bit, haven’t you all noticed Olivia’s and Astrid’s pendants/earrings throughout the whole series? They all resemble that same diagram and I’m pretty sure there was some info on it on fringe forums a season or two back (or was it in another timeline?). Back then, my guess (and that of some other members) was that it referred to the different universes, as well as levels of immersion in them, now when I was watching this episode with my friends I noticed this again.
I’m sorry I can’t provide images and take a look now as I’m short of time, but if some charitable soul can do it, that’d be great.

Thanks for the nice observations!
Did anyone understand the suggestion that “Nixon was a mole” implied by Walter? My association went to the dystopian novel “Radio Free Albemuth” by Philip K. Dick, where one premise was the depiction of Richard Nixon as a double agent. (I read it many years ago and do not remember the plot exactly.)
In any case, I think that Fringe (which I find is a terrific show, by the way) overall owe a lot to many of Dick’s themes and constructions.
(This is my first comment and English is not my first language and hence the usual excuses. )